18 things about the iconic Pebble Beach!
18 things about the iconic Pebble Beach!
Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. We conduct 1, 2, and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993. We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.
Golf Blog by the Mel Sole Golf School.
I have had the privilege of playing Pebble Beach twice, and both have been unbelievable experiences. Not only is the beauty overwhelming, but the entire aura of the place is stunning. It is like heaven and earth have come together at that place on the California coast! So if ever you get the opportunity to play there, go. You won't regret it!
Follow along as Golf Vacation Insider gives you some interesting facts about Pebble Beach!
Golf Vacation Insider has put together a list of 18 things that makes Pebble Beach even more intriguing. Check them out!
Another AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is in the books, and if you’re like us, you’re probably dreaming of playing there (or playing there again).
Well, despite everything you’ve seen and heard about Pebble Beach, there is a lot of stuff you probably don’t know.
Interesting stuff they never mention on the telecast…and important stuff your friends forget to tell you while showing off their snapshots.
Luckily for you, our network of “operatives” have been to Pebble Beach dozens of times.
Here’s are some things you should know before you go…
On the history of Pebble Beach Golf Links…
Pebble Beach is one of the West Coast’s oldest golf retreats. (Pebble Beach Company)1. It narrowly missed becoming a housing development.
The land upon which it sits was originally carved up into dozens of small, 50’ x 100’ residential lots. It was Samuel Finley Brown Morse’s idea to buy back the handful of lots that had been sold and instead build the golf course.
2. Pebble Beach Golf Links was an agronomy innovator.
It was the first championship golf course in the United States to be constructed with tee-to-green underground irrigation.
3. It bent the rules during Prohibition.
According to historian Neil Hotelling’s book, “Pebble Beach Golf Links: The Official History,” the “Canary Cottage” (originally located behind the fifth green) “provided a secluded setting, offering a variety of [gambling] games and, of course, good food and liquor. Its proximity to Stillwater Cove also made it a convenient place to receive, store, and dispense of the secretly imported liquor.”
4. It has played a few different “roles” in Hollywood movies.
Sometimes as the coast of England (in 1945’s National Velvet), sometimes as itself (in 1951’s Follow the Sun)…and once as a trophy acquisition for a major movie studio. According to Hotelling, in 1978, “Twentieth Century-Fox would use its profits from Star Wars to buy Pebble Beach Corporation.”
5. It was briefly a private course.
In an attempt to appease the USGA during the bid for the 1972 U.S. Open, Pebble Beach Golf Links in 1963 became “The Pebble Beach Golf Club,” open only to hotel guests, members of a few nearby clubs, and certain local residents. Reverting to public access before its first U.S. Open was one of the best moves the course could have ever made. According to Hotelling, the successful event, shown on national television, “positioned Pebble Beach Golf Links in the unquestioned role as America’s premier public access golf course…for the first time, anyone could play a U.S. Open course…The demand for tee times soared.”
On playing Pebble Beach Golf Links…
6. The longer you wait, the longer your round.
Unless you play Pebble Beach Golf Links early in the morning, be prepared for a long round. Between the greens that are hard to hit and all the photo-taking going on, it is almost always a longish round. The best advice is to just prepare for it and enjoy yourself. How often do you get to play Pebble Beach?
The 8th at Pebble Beach Golf Links (Evan Schiller)
7. The approach shot on the 8th hole is one of the best in golf.
You need to trust your caddie for the line from the tee to make sure you have a realistic chance at it. But to be honest, whenever we’ve been there, even if we’ve hit crummy tee shots, the temptation of that heroic carry over the chasm to that tiny green proves too great. Worst case scenario: you have a neat story about losing a ball in the ocean at “the 8th at Pebble.”
Thanks for reading 18 things about the iconic Pebble Beach? I hope you learned something!
To see the other 11 things you did not know about Pebble Beach Golf Links, go here!
Source: Golf Vacation Insider
Pictures: Pebble Beach Company Evan Schiller
Thanks for reading - 18 things about the iconic Pebble Beach? One of my favorite places in the world!
Related Posts.
Playing links golf is a unique experience.
An interesting golf rules question – Rules & Etiquette Wednesday #99.
What are Your Favorite Finishing Holes?
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL, LIKE THIS VIDEO, SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND, LEAVE A COMMENT!